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Author: Russ Salo

Great news for National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) members! Geotab has been awarded a four-year contract by the NJPA for the procurement of Fleet Management and Related Technology Solutions. The contract establishes Geotab as an awarded vendor and offers streamlined purchasing for the over 50,000 NJPA members across the United States with competitive volume pricing. On the topic of the NJPA contract, Geotab’s Strategic Market Development Manager, Jean Pilon-Bignell, said “through this NJPA awarded contract, all local and state government fleets gain access to premium quality secure telematics solutions without having to engage in a lengthy and costly bidding process.”

Geotab’s platform security is designed for end-to-end protection of data, and sets Geotab apart as a leading global provider of innovative telematics technology. Through the over 2 billion points of data collected each day, Geotab provides critical intelligence to enable new and innovative smart-city and state applications to help government agencies improve regional operations surrounding transportation efficiency, citizen safety and environmental sustainability.

If you qualify to purchase the Geotab telematics solution through the NJPA contract, we encourage you to contact us to get started experiencing the benefits Geotab can offer you.

On December 18th, 2017, the day the U.S. mandated for all truckers to track Hours of Service with the use of an Electronic Logging Device (ELD), Canadian Transport Minister, Marc Garneau announced a similar plan for truckers in Canada.

Siting research showing an “ELD mandate would have a direct and immediate impact on curbing behaviours strongly linked with higher crash rates such as driving over limits of service, which leads to fatigue”, Garneau stated the Canadian mandate would be expected to mirror the one now in place in the U.S. and consist of a two-year rollout plan, but added, “if we can do it quicker than that, that would be even better”.

The reasoning given for the two countries’ mandates being mirrored was, “there are almost 30,000 trucks a day that travel between Canada and the United States. It helps if we have the same rules on both sides of the border”.

Although truckers in the U.S. also had what could be seen as sufficient lead time to implement ELDs into their trucks, whether single-truck owner-operators to fleets with hundreds of vehicles, many chose to hold out until the eleventh hour to see if any actions by various advocates would reverse the decision or delay the deadline. The deadline was not delayed and the decision went ahead leaving many panicking to meet the requirements before roadside enforcement of the ruling begins in a few short months.

Our best advice to any Canadian trucker or fleet owner who does not already have a GPS fleet tracking and ELD system implemented into their truck or trucks, is to start now so it not only gives drivers and fleet managers time to learn the new technology, you can also get a head start on experiencing the advantages making the change can offer your business.

Every fleet manager dreads having a vehicle down for any amount of time as it quickly takes a toll on productivity and profits. Whether a vehicle is out of gas, has a flat tire or a dead battery, the goal of every fleet manager is to have the situation dealt with as soon as possible to get that vehicle back on the road to keep business going without too severe of a disruption. Businesses have many options for roadside services to help deal with vehicle breakdowns or other situations when vehicles are out on the roads, but we’d like to share why we believe you should strongly consider using Geotab’s Roadside Assistance.

Geotab Roadside (available in the U.S. and Canada) is a simple solution for dispatching roadside assistance to fleet vehicles experiencing a breakdown or another type of roadside issue. Powered by Rapitow, Geotab Roadside has a roadside assistance network of more than 45,000 service providers. When a roadside assistance request is sent, it is sent to the closest service provider ensuring a fast response. Services are provided 24/7 and 365 days a year.

Using Geotab Roadside allows you to track the service time on the app with accurate GPS data, and watch the service vehicle drive to your location. This gives the driver assurance on how soon someone will be there and also allows your fleet dispatchers to update customers or receiving areas that the driver will be late, if needed.

Fleets often pay too much for roadside assistance programs, only receiving a slight discount from what a consumer would pay for services. Geotab Roadside, on the other hands, is offered free of charge for Light-Duty vehicles located in the U.S. and Canada, with a fleet-wide* subscription to the Geotab ProPlus plan.

As the December deadline for the ELD mandate approaches in the U.S., we thought it was important to debunk some popular myths about vehicle tracking to help ease the transition and put minds at ease for those who may be confused or worried.

Myth #1 – Telematics Is Too Expensive

One of the largest concerns many have about the new ELD mandate is the cost associated with the implementation. Firstly, a telematics device should be seen as an investment for your business rather than expense as, if used correctly, it can give you a great return on your investment. Secondly, the cost for implementation depends on a wide variety of factors such as fleet size and device and package selected. These factors can result in a larger fleet, or fleet requiring higher packages to pay more while smaller fleets or companies needing the basic functions to be compliant having an extremely affordable telematics solution for their business.

When looking for a telematics solution, be sure to compare vendors, hardware, software, and any installation costs that may apply. GPS to GO is proud to offer simple plug-and-play Geotab devices allowing you to avoid installation costs. With our videos to show how simple installation is for a variety of vehicles, and amazing customer support, you can have your device up and running and tracking your vehicles within minutes of unboxing!

Myth #2 – Telematics Means Big Brother Is Watching

Vehicle telematics often gets mixed up with GPS tracking devices and systems which usually require an app to be downloaded to a driver’s phone. That type of system means a driver’s cell phone is being tracked rather than a vehicle being tracked. With vehicle telematics on the other hand, there are tiers of the technology depending on the need of the business so only what needs to be tracked, is. This can range from a simple GPS tracker that will tell you the location of the vehicle, all the way to a robust system that allows fleet managers and business owners to monitor a vehicle’s health, manage productivity, improve fuel efficiency, ensure compliance with government regulations, and keep drivers safe. For those still worried about being tracked through vehicle telematics, just remember, the vast majority of fleet managers aren’t interested in and don’t have time to watch each driver minute by minute and some companies actually use telematics data to score and reward safe and fuel efficient drivers.

Myth #3 – Drivers Will Lose Driving Time

A report mentioned in the FMCSA’s final rule on ELDs stated that the transition from paper driver logs to ELDs will help reduce the time spent complying with the Hours of Service regulations by 68.33 million hours per year across the nearly 4 million drivers in the U.S. required to comply with HOS and the administrative personnel dealing with these as well. This means the estimated annual recordkeeping cost savings from the proposed rule is about $705 per driver.

Myth #4 – My Company Is Too Small To Use Telematics

There is a common misconception that telematics are only required or beneficial for large companies. This is far from true and even companies with a single vehicle can benefit from a telematics device. As mentioned above under other myths, vehicle telematics systems can be very affordable for small fleets and allow you to monitor vehicle health, improve fuel efficiency, and keep drivers safe, which we’re sure every company can get behind.

Myth #5 – A Telematics Device Will Interfere With Vehicle Performance or Void The Warranty

In the U.S., the Moss Magnuson Warranty Act of 1975 prohibits manufacturers from voiding warranty due to aftermarket additions to a vehicle. As long as you have proof of a defect being attributed to the car manufacturer, then your warranty if valid and enforceable regardless of whether or not you attached an aftermarket part. As the Geotab devices have a plug and play design, there is no need to change the vehicle in any way mechanically. Although it is true that a device will draw energy from a vehicle’s battery, it is so low that it would take a typical car battery over two years to be depleted by the Geotab device. The Geotab device also goes into sleep mode when a vehicle is turned off and will only draw 2.5 mA of current, and is smart enough to turn itself off if a vehicle is left for months at a time without charging the battery.

Myth #6 – My Employees Operate in Remote Locations (Out of Range)

While this myth may have been true at one point in time, it is no longer the case thanks to the evolution of technology which now has solutions for people in remote areas of the world. Although cellular networks are the main form of communication the Geotab device uses, it also has the option of storing months and months’ worth of data on the device itself which will then upload once the vehicle comes back into an area of cellular reception. There is also the option of instead of using cell towers to transmit data, to use satellites which offer more reliable connections and services in remote areas.

If you have any questions about the Geotab device and any myths you may have heard about not mentioned in this list, contact us. To start experiencing the benefits of choosing GPS to GO for your vehicle telematics solution in the Geotab device, Request a Quote.

We love hearing how the Geotab GPS tracking device helps businesses improve their processes and bottom line. Click the link below to find out how it helped J.F. Kitching & Son Ltd., a third-generation family business located in Queensville, Ontario which provides transportation services, and what benefits they are experiencing since choosing this business solution.

GPS to GO is an official reseller of the Geotab GPS tracking solution, the only end-to-end fleet tracking system; from the easy plug & play GPS tracker devices to the sophisticated yet intuitive fleet management software. Learn More.